A very British resolution: Family pledges to buy only products made in Britain for the next year

Tax dodging by multinationals Amazon and Starbucks sparked protests by groups such as UK Uncut.

The Bradshaw family were also outraged, but they made a New Year resolution to do something very much more long term.

Prep school teacher Emily, 29, said: ‘I remember the moment I heard about Amazon. I said to my husband James, that’s it, I’m not buying Christmas presents from Amazon. If I can give my £20 to somebody who is local, independent, or who’s actually going to do something for the people around me then I’d rather do that.’

British brew: Emily and James
Bradshaw, with their son Lucan

Most of us would have quietly forgotten making such a promise – but Emily and James came up with a radical plan for January 1. The family will spend 2013 buying only British goods. That’s not just food, but clothing, housewares, electronic items, fuel – everything.

Under the banner of ‘A Truly British Family’, the project is supported by a website, a blog, a Twitter account and piles of energy and enthusiasm from the couple, who live with son Lucan, aged 2, in a terraced house in the small Kent town of Westerham.

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James, 34, who works in marketing for a patent and trademark firm in London, said: ‘We’re not eco warriors or deeply political and we’re not brand champions. This isn’t a political statement. It’s about being pro Britain, rather than anti anywhere else.

‘We’d prefer to spend our money with British firms, support British jobs and have a shared goal that’s fun for us as a family. It’s also an attempt to keep hold of the pride in being British that came after the Olympics and Jubilee.’

Website: Keep up with the Bradshaws at britishfamily.co.uk

James admitted he originally thought the Olympics would be an ‘absolute shambles’ but as events unfolded he ‘felt my own cynicism melting away and it was a nice feeling, liberating’.

How the family define ‘made in Britain’ is at the crux of the project. Their ideal supplier is a British firm doing everything here, particularly manufacturing. If materials or ingredients are sourced in Britain another box is ticked.

Preferably they will be from smaller, local enterprises. James said: ‘We haven’t resolved how multinationals fit in. If we find a way to justify every multinational, how much does it water down our project?’

They have spent the first days of 2013 glued to the internet, researching their favourite brands. James was dismayed to discover that smoothie maker Innocent is majority-owned by Coca-Cola.

Emily stresses that whether they want or need a product will also be key: ‘Do you really need tomatoes in the middle of December? Not really.’

And she’s quick to point out their son won’t suffer. They hope to source British medicines and pharmaceuticals but they emphasise: ‘We’re not fanatics.’

Out: Leaving Spotify, based in Sweden, was 'very painful' because James had three years of playlists on it

James’s subscription to internet music service Spotify, based in Sweden, was the first big treat to go, swiftly followed by US multinational website eBay – it’s local auctions now.

Spotify was ‘very painful’ because James had three years of playlists on it, though he’s delighted to have sourced a British alternative, WE7, launched by Peter Gabriel and now owned by Tesco.

They’ve also sourced handmade socks and shoes and ditched olive oil in favour of extra virgin rapeseed. Other ideas are coming thick and fast, often via Twitter.

But their research has also despressed them. ‘What could be more British than a cup of tea?’ asked James. Emily’s into her Twinings Earl Grey. You see the adverts and you think, Twinings, typically British, Stephen Fry doing the adverts. But they moved some production to Poland and laid off workers in Tyneside.

‘I suppose we feel let down. Even if some companies are British, looking into them and their history you start thinking, actually I don’t want to buy this stuff anyway.’

James Dyson is another case in point. ‘Dyson is saying you need to do more for British industry and he shipped all his manufacturing abroad,’ said James.

So a Dyson vacuum cleaner is not on the shopping list, but a £50 microwave from Japan’s Sharp is because it’s made in Wales.

‘It shows we have the ability to produce something at a price point that is reasonable and built in this country,’ said James.

‘ARM in Cambridge designs chip for Apple and others. We have the ability to create these things,’ he said. ‘I doubt very much anyone manufactures whole mobiles, but if we make enough of the components in this country is it possible to knock up a very basic mobile phone if we can’t find a British phone? I’ve made my own valve radio, how much more difficult can it be?’

They know 2013 could be a more expensive year, but think it should be worth it in the long run. They’re learning to value and enjoy things that have cost more and believe a higher price often means better quality and decent wages. They believe they will save in the long run because ‘things will last ten years instead of two’.

... And here’s a bright idea that may be of help

A directory of UK firms has been launched this month for shoppers who want to buy British, writes Vicki Owen.
Ex-journalist Clare Heighway, 30, and boyfriend Tom Drake, 28, both of Clevedon, Somerset, said they had the idea for the Exquisitely British website during the Olympics.

Exquisitelybritish.com, the website launched on January 1, charges firms £6.99 to feature if they are considered suitable.

Heighway said: ‘The Olympics triggered an increase in support of British companies and people are trying to buy British. If people know where to go for British goods, they will.

‘All firms will be based in the UK, even if they source from abroad, and making things in Britain ideally.’